from Dustin BleizefferWyoFile
14 August 2024
A worker died Aug. 5 when the crane he was operating overturned at the construction site of a wind farm in remote Natrona County, state and local authorities said.
The victim, John William Hoffpauir Jr., 55, of Houma, Louisiana, was working as a crane operator at the Cedar Springs wind farm north of Casper and Glenrock, which was managed by Blattner Energy, at the time of the accident. Hoffpauir was an employee of Blattner Energy, a company spokesman told WyoFile.
The Natrona County coroner has not released the cause of death, and a spokesman for the Wyoming Health and Safety Administration said the agency would not release details until the investigation is complete.
“The investigation is ongoing and we cannot comment during this time,” Erin Turbitt, spokeswoman for Wyoming OSHA, told WyoFile.
Blattner Energy confirmed that Hoffpauir died on the job in Wyoming, but said it would not provide any further information at this time.
It was the sixth confirmed fatal workplace accident in Wyoming this year, not counting workplace road deaths, Turbitt said. Wyoming had 34 workplace road deaths (including workplace road deaths) in 2022 – a 25% increase from 2021, according to data from the state and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
According to an obituary on the website of Crowley, Louisiana-based Geesey Ferguson Funeral Home, Hoffpauir worked as a paramedic before becoming a crane operator. As a crane operator, Hoffpauir worked primarily in the wind energy construction industry and was a former member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 49, according to the obituary and a Facebook account under his name.
He leaves behind four children and five grandchildren.
In comments posted on his obituary page, Hoffpauir is described as a man of faith who adored his children and grandchildren, a mentor who encouraged his coworkers, and a person who enjoyed golf, fishing, and cooking.
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent, nonprofit news organization focused on the people, places and politics of Wyoming.
